Too Long, Didn't Read:1) Register with Strava and log in.2) Join the SDBikecommuter group on Strava.3) Follow friends from this forum - don't be shy about it!

(Android, iPhone or GPS required)

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If you ride with a smartphone (iPhone, Android) or GPS (e.g., Garmin), please keep on reading! And if you don't feel free to read anyways, as it might be of interest anyways.

I have used various apps for navigation and recording rides. They are all a little different; some do certain things better than others, some have more or less functionality than others - as you would expect.

At the suggestion of Cecil, I recently started using Strava (free, no data (e.g., 3G) required, can run in background), and I am loving it! In addition to recording your rides and providing you with all kinds of ride statistics (time, speed, distance, elevation gains, energy burn, and much else), you can also (at your option!) choose to upload your ride to Strava servers, where you can share rides with other riders whon you have permitted to see your rides. In return, you can see and download their rides, and comment on them (think a Facebook for cyclists of sorts, but with solid privacy walls).

If you are into cycling for exercise, it also ranks you with other cyclists who have done the same route: Say, as part of your ride you went up Bachmann Place - this is a “Strava segment” so you can compare yourself to 1) other times you rode up Bachmann, and 2) to other riders who have done it. This goes for any other Strava segment - there must be millions of them in the database.

There are about half a dozen members here who I know are active Strava members. They are on my “friends” list (and I am on theirs). So I can see when and where they rode (If they chose to make it public) and comment on them. So if you decide to try out Strava, you will have some friends already, right out of the starting gates, from this board! And if you post to the “Mileage” thread, Strava can help keeping your stats straight (as long as you remember to turn it on).

Here’s a link to the Strava webpage. And here’s a link to myStrava page, to give you an idea of what an actual page looks like (very limited info available to guests -much more if you register and log in [just like FB]).

Strava may not be for everybody, but if one of your reasons for using a bike is exercise and to stay in touch with other cyclists in the local community (and who desn't?), you may want to check it out.

If you decide to do so, post to this post so we can add each other as “friends” if you like. If you are a Strava user already, post here, too - so we know who you are. And feel free to add your experiences with Strava, too.

For the record, I have no relations or associations with Strava - I am just a happy user.

I've been using Strava and I'm a fan. I don't use a smart phone but a Garmin 500 to monitor my rides. One thing that always makes me nervous with these GPS/smart phone cycling gadgets is privacy. Nice thing about Strava is there's a feature that allows you to block out a radius of 500ft, 1000ft, or a 1 mile from any address you choose. So if you use your GPS to commute to and from work you can basically hide where you live and make your bread. Me likes not to broadcast these things to the web...

I also like the "friending" aspect of Strava too. You get to "follow" riders and see what what they've done and vice versa. You don't have to post every ride but if you are particularly proud of some big effort or whatever it's fun to get some "kudos" or chit chat about it. Sigurd and I have been commenting on each others individual rides and also rides that we've done together. It's a good site and a good tool. Cheers!

I'm also on. I also enjoy the privacy options it offers. If one does not trust Strava itself, one can add a false address near one's home and censor rides that go within 2000 m of that location.

At any rate, it's nice to see where others have gone with elevation profiles, though I myself am not all that keen on the competitive aspect (some of the roadie times just absolutely destroy you...). The app itself is excellent though, and good about not rapidly draining battery with GPS on.

dstone:I'm also on. I also enjoy the privacy options it offers. If one does not trust Strava itself, one can add a false address near one's home and censor rides that go within 2000 m of that location.

Yeah, that's something I did after I realized I didn't have to put my own address in. It was kinda a "duh" moment... lol

At any rate, it's nice to see where others have gone with elevation profiles, though I myself am not all that keen on the competitive aspect (some of the roadie times just absolutely destroy you...). The app itself is excellent though, and good about not rapidly draining battery with GPS on.

Some of the times roadies are putting up are ridiculous. I did my best ever ascent of Washington, I mean I really killed myself, and some dude is beating me by a 1 minute and 15 seconds...ugh. I actually don't get discouraged by that because it's nice to see what is possible and I will try and remember that dude's name so I never have to ride with him :face-devil-grin:

There is also someone training for a solo RAAM 2013 and the miles he's doing are incredible!

Welcome aboard, Sam. I use Strava as a way to track my miles, more than anything. My pace is usually quite slow and I use my bike primarily for the mundane. So, we will both make Sigurd feel good about himself.

I really like using it so far although my pace is rather slow as well and extremely slow when compared to some of the other users out there! But I am looking forward to tracking some of my miles and it will be fun to have a year of stats. I do like being able to see how much some of us ride in one day (Sigurd and Cecil!). I am more looking forward to using it on longer rides. I also enjoy being able to give others "kudos"!

While on the subject on what we like about it: I am thinking it is giving me the motivation to ride a little more often, farther or harder - if it does only one of those things once in a blue moon, it's all I need from it.

I just set up a SDBikecommuter group on Strava: Why? To build community and help you stay motivated to bicycle. For new Strava users, it will be easier get a "friends list" set up right away.

All members here using Strava are welcome to join. I am not exactly sure how to join as I was the one who set it up, but it may be under "Profile"/"MyProfile" or "Explore"/"Clubs" - it shouldn't be too hard.

If you manage to join, please share with others here the steps you took to do so - thx..

If you manage to join, please share with others here the steps you took to do so - thx..

You can either just click on Sigurd's link and click join or you can go to your dashboard and click on groups and do a search for this group. You have to type in the name as one word to find it, ie sdbikecommuter.Thanks for making the group Sigurd!

The Schwinn Lawyer:Welcome aboard, Sam. I use Strava as a way to track my miles, more than anything. My pace is usually quite slow and I use my bike primarily for the mundane. So, we will both make Sigurd feel good about himself.

Thanks Chris!

It will be pretty funny if the collective athletic prowess of San Diego on Strava goes down drastically after a bunch of slowpokes suddenly start signing on to Strava.:face-devil-grin:

Oh...the ways I amuse myself. :face-monkey:

Maybe I'll use this Strava thing to poke around and do some geocaching as well and get some extra mileage in.

Sigurd:While on the subject on what we like about it: I am thinking it is giving me the motivation to ride a little more often, farther or harder - if it does only one of those things once in a blue moon, it's all I need from it.

From what I have read you would be the person that I would think least needs such a motivation, Mr Soledad Mtn Guy! :face-monkey:

On topic, I have a phone that barely works as a phone. I am giving technology a serious thought and if I update and get something that does something other than phone calls, I'll join.

On the iPhone app - which may be similar to the Droid app - once you have clicked "finish ride", the next option is "save": This is where Strava uploads the route to your account (I assume that you have input your Strava login credentials correctly in the app). You also need to be network connected (WiFi, 3G, etc.).

Ah, by some weird kink in the process I was logged in through facebook but my phone was uploading to some other profile associated with my email address. I'll have to delete the facebook related one and re-follow you guys.

Edit: I was going to delete the old one, but now I can't even access it. Though I can choose to follow the defunct account...weird.

Strava launched a new version (2.1) for the iPhone (Droid in the pipeline) todaym with a whole slew of improvements and new features, incl. "Segment Search" where you can find a listing of the most used cycling routes anywhere: Check it out.

Just bumping this thread for the benefit of newly active members here who are also Strava users - notably, Daniel, Matt, Chris and Pana, but also all other Strava users here: You are invited to join the SDBikeCommuter club on Strava!

OK, joined the SDBikeCommuter club as "Shady Gaga". I have been using MyTracks for the past month or so but just tried Strava today. Can anybody comment on accuracy for distance and elevation with Strava in comparison with MyTracks? Does Strava allow for export of gpx etc files, etc?

Shady, I added you to my friends' list - when at the SDBikeCommuter Strava club page you can decide to "follow" people here as you please, whose rides and comments will then populate your dashboard page.

I have not used MyTracks and cannot compare it with Strava in terms of accuracy, but I have used numerous other online mapping services (and chose to settle with Strava at this forum for its social networking features) and generally found that horizontal accuracy across hardware and software was sufficiently similar for me not to worry too much about it (military level accuracy was not needed for me). As to vertical accuracy [AKA "elevation"}, variations caused by hardware and software processing are substantial, however, due to inherent weaknesses with the GPS system in this regards (want to earn bragging rights for very optimistic elevation gains - use Ridewithgps.com!): If very accurate vertical measurements are needed, an altimeter enabled GPSR (e.g., Garmin 705) would be beneficial.

Yes - you can export your own Strava rides to GPX (but not other people's rides - but for that there is a third party online "hack").

Since I have a Garmin 500 I also use Garmin's web software call "Garmin Connect" (GC). It has some good features and that's where I store all of my rides. I usually don't post everything to Strava... :face-devil-grin:

One thing I noticed on Strava compared to GC is Strava is very precise about your route where GC will cut corners. I suspect that has to do with Strava's "segments".

I use both My Tracks and Strava. Today, I had MyTracks running on my Droid while my Garmin Edge was also recording. I upload my Garmin to Strava.

MyTracks gave me 26.02 miles with 1,586 ft of elevation. The Garmin via Strava gave me 25.9 miles with 1,073 ft of elevation.Garmin Connect, also using my Edge gave me 25.92 miles and 1,093 ft of elevation with elevation correction disabled and 982 ft with it on (uses survey and other data).

I'm not sure what conclusions to draw from this except that I suspect the data from my Garmin is generally more accurate than from my phone. I'll read the review that Sigurd posted when I get a chance.

I like Strava for performance based data, the segments, and the social networking features-- it's been fun interacting with everyone else on there.

MyTracks, with its Google Docs spreadsheet is more useful to me for keeping track of commute/utility riding and my total miles. I can also use the spreadsheet functions to sort rides between bikes, etc..

From the other thread on my complaints about Strava violating my privacy settings.

Sigurd:This is what I found: If you chose an address as a "private" sector, Strava will only exclude that sector upon start and finish - but not if you drop by during a ride.

So, as an example - if your ride started and stopped at BLAH but you decided to drop by your house for a glass of water any time during that ride, it will NOT cloak your visit to your house - Strava only cloaks your home when you start and/or finish there.

I have no idea if this applies to your situation - but it might!

You are right about that. Had no idea. I keep forgetting to record my riding at the start or at the end and then subsequently wake up at 3am realizing that I didn't turn off the recording and then I hunt down my phone to turn it off and see that my average speed at that point has dropped down to 0.7 mph. I mean I'm slow and all, but posting something like that is embarrassingly bad.

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The other day I was feeling all proud of myself for doing a nice speed on a certain Adams segment when I checked others and found a certain Richard LaChina and 80 other people (or something like that) had me solidly beat. :face-sad:

Sam:I keep forgetting to record my riding at the start or at the end and then subsequently wake up at 3am realizing that I didn't turn off the recording and then I hunt down my phone to turn it off and see that my average speed at that point has dropped down to 0.7 mph.

Strava records and publishes both elapsed time and moving time, and the speed it publishes is based on moving time and not elapsed time.

The other day I was feeling all proud of myself for doing a nice speed on a certain Adams segment when I checked others and found a certain Richard LaChina and 80 other people (or something like that) had me solidly beat. :face-sad:

As of today, one of our own is now tied with Richard LaChina on that sprint...

If you want to stop at your house for a glass of water but need the location cloaked, you should finish the ride upon arrival and start a new ride upon departure: Strava will record two rides, each with your house location cloaked.

I think Strava's thinking about not cloaking mid-ride is to not destroy segments in case you just happen to ride by your house - say, you live at the corner of 30th and El Cajon, it may not make sense to cloak if you just happen to pass by on your bike/run.